


Undercover Work

by cdybedahl



Category: Smallville
Genre: BDSM, F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-04-28
Updated: 2012-04-28
Packaged: 2017-11-04 12:08:55
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,384
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/393680
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cdybedahl/pseuds/cdybedahl
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Tess offers to help Lois get into an event no journalist has ever been able to visit. Lois gets a bit too eager to wonder if Tess might have an ulterior motive.</p>
<p>Set earlyish in season eight, right before the whole mess with Clark having Chloe mindwiped.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Undercover Work

"So, Lois, do you think you'll win the Meerman Summit pool this year?"  
It was a normally busy day at the Daily Planet. Jimmy Olsen was standing next to Lois Lane's and Clark Kent's desks, camera in hand and beaming his usual grin at the two of them. The two reporters looked up from their respective monitors, Lois smiling and Clark looking confused.   
"I'll sure try," Lois said. "Will you?"  
Jimmy shook his head.  
"Not seriously," he said. "I'll hang around, see if I get lucky. Nothing like what you guys get up to."  
"Well, good luck anyway," Lois said.  
"Thanks," he said, smile widening. "You too!"  
Clark stared at his receding back, then turned to Lois.  
"What was that all about?"  
Lois leaned back in her chair and gave him a smile that was only slightly condescending.  
"That was about the best kept public secret in Metropolis," she said. "The annual Meerman Summit."  
"Never heard of it," Clark said. "It's important?"  
"We don't know," Lois said.  
"You don't know."  
She leaned forward.  
"Every year for the past couple of decades," she said, "a number of the richest and most influential businesspeople and politicians in Metropolis have had a meeting. It's called the Meerman Summit, for the guy we think organized the first few of them."  
Clark shrugged.  
"So a bunch of important people have a meeting," he said. "What's the big deal?"  
"The deal," Lois said, "is two-fold. First, the security is _impeccable_. Nobody on the guest list has talked about it, ever, and nobody not on the list has ever gotten in. Second, the people who are invited always bring one or more escorts with them."  
"Escorts?"  
Clark looked confused. Lois sighed.  
"Women, Smallville," she said. "Of, as they say, negotiable affection. Ladies of the night. The _very_ expensive kind."  
"And none of them have ever talked?"  
Lois shook her head.  
"Apparently it's really good for their business to be invited, so they make sure to stay on the good side."  
He frowned.  
"So, what, they have orgies in there or something?"  
Lois smiled,  
"You guess is a good as mine, Smallville," she said. "Well, almost as good."  
He shook his head and returned to his writing.

"So what about the pool part?" Clark said considerably later. They were waiting for the elevators, on their way out to lunch.  
"What pool part?" Lois said.  
"The one Jimmy mentioned. About the Meerman Summit."  
"Oh, that," Lois said. "That's a Daily Planet thing. Every year, everyone who wants to puts twenty-five bucks into a pool. The first one of us to get a story from inside the summit published gets it all."  
"So how many join?"  
"Practically everyone," Lois said. "And it's been going for over fifteen years. There's almost twenty thousand dollars in it by now."  
"Wow," Clark said. "That's a lot of money."  
"It'll buy a nice weekend in Vegas, that's for sure," Lois said. "You going for it?"  
He shook his head.  
"Not my sort of thing," he said. "You?"  
"Of course," Lois said. "I'll get that story. I don't know yet how I'll get in, but one way or another, I'll get there."  
Clark was just about to say something when a new voice interrupted.  
"I can get you in," it said.  
The two reporters turned as one. Behind them, Tess Mercer was standing.  
"Um, excuse me?" Lois said.  
"I couldn't help overhearing," Tess said. "I didn't know about this pool. Would I be correct in guessing that the paper that can first get this story would gain some bragging rights over the others?"  
"Oh, absolutely," Lois said. "It'd be a real coup."  
Tess smiled. It wasn't a very warm smile.  
"Then, as I said, miss Lane, I can get you in."  
Lois frowned a little.  
"Why me?" she said. "Why now?"  
Tess shrugged.  
"It's my first year here," she said. "I never had the chance before. Lex certainly could have too, had he wanted to. And if you're not interested, miss Lane, I'm sure I can find someone else to do it."  
"No, no!" Lois said. "I'll do it, absolutely. I was just... curious."  
"An admirable trait in a journalist," Tess said. "You have the afternoon to get something suitable to wear. Something elegant and alluring. Put it on your expense account. Be ready to be picked up at seven tonight."  
Lois frowned.  
"Elegant and alluring...? You want me to go as an _escort_?"  
Tess slightly raised her eyebrows.  
"Well, you're not a business leader or an influential politician, now are you?"  
The elevator doors opened. Tess walked between Lois and Clark into it.  
"On second thought," she said. "Just go for slutty and expensive."  
Her eyes dropped to Lois' customarily ample cleavage.  
"You should have no problem with that," she added just as the doors closed.  
Lois stared at the closed door for several seconds before she turned to Clark.  
"Did she just call me a slut?" she said.  
"I think she was mostly disparaging your sense of style," Clark said.   
Lois glared at him and angrily hit the elevator call button again.

The afternoon passed in a slight haze of righteous anger for Lois. She passed like an angry whirlwind through the high-fashion boutiques, and managed to brow-beat a currently fashionable hair salon into giving her a working-over at the spot. At exorbitant cost, of course, but Lois gleefully paid with her Daily Planet credit card and added a hefty tip. If Mercer had the gall to complain about it...  
Lois sighed.  
She was at the flat she shared with Chloe and, unfortunately, Jimmy Olsen. She really ought to move out. The only problem with that plan was that the only place she could afford seemed to be her old room back at the Kent farm. She sighed again and turned back to the mirror she was standing in front of. She hardly dared to sit down, for fear of messing up the insanely expensive dress she was wearing. It was a red one, shimmering in black when she moved. It was strapless and nearly back-less, but still somehow managed to support her bust well enough to produce an amount of cleavage even Lois herself found impressive. It was slit at the sides nearly all the way up to her hips, and when she walked flashes showed of the glossy black inside of the cloth. As well as the red and gold stockings she was wearing. They were patterned with oriental dragons and flowers, and made from some super-material she'd been promised would stay up and still be comfortable. Her hair flowed down her bare shoulders, a shade darker than usual and with coppery highlights.  
Another sigh escaped her.  
She really thought she looked great, but Tess' _slutty and expensive_ just wouldn't stop circling through her head. What if that was really all she had managed to achieve? Would she herself be able to tell?  
"Oh my god," someone said behind her. "Who are you and what have you done to my cousin?"  
"Hi, Chloe," Lois said. "I'm going under cover."  
"As what? A movie star?"  
Chloe came around so Lois could see her. Lois held out her arms and moved a little so Chloe could get a better look.  
"So what do you think?" she said. "Do I look like a high-class prostitute?"  
Chloe's eyebrows shot up.  
"Excuse me?" she said. "Where did you say you were going under cover? And what kind of cover, exactly?"  
"A secretive business meeting," Lois said. "They bring along a lot of escorts. One of whom will tonight be me."  
"I see," Chloe said. "Are you sure it's safe?"  
Lois shrugged.  
"My job is rarely safe," she said.  
"Want to borrow some pepper spray?"  
Chloe's gaze swept over her.  
"Not that I know where you'd keep it..." she said.  
"I'll be fine," Lois said. "And tomorrow I'll have a story that people have been trying to get for over a decade."  
"Well, good luck," Chloe said.

At seven o'clock to the second, a black limousine coasted to a halt outside the apartment. Out of pure spite, Lois waited a couple of minutes before she draped a shawl over her shoulders and went down. The night air was chilly, and she felt weird going out dressed like she was in the neighborhood where she lived.  
A man in a dark suit stepped out from behind the wheel of the limo.  
"Evening, miss Lane," he said.  
She looked at him. She knew him. She frowned.  
"Didn't you use to work for Lex?" she asked.  
"I work for LuthorCorp executive security, yes," he said.   
He opened the door for her, and she saw Tess Mercer sitting inside, tapping at a laptop. Suddenly, the deliberate waiting felt very stupid and childish. Lois slid inside, careful not to mess up the dress as she sat down on the rear-facing seat.  
"Sorry I let you wait," she said.  
Tess looked up from the laptop.  
"Did you?" she said. "I didn't notice."  
She tilted her head a little and carefully looked Lois over. It made Lois feel acutely self-conscious, and the knot of nervousness that had settled in her stomach when she saw Mercer grew a little.  
"Will I do?" she said.  
The limo started to move.  
"You will do fine," Mercer said. "You shouldn't stand out among the other courtesans. At least not in the wrong way."  
Lois looked at her.  
"Not the wrong way?" she said. "And, _courtesans_?"  
"I believe that is what one calls a whore once her price tag rises above a certain level," Mercer said.  
"I know," Lois said, trying to sound icy. "And you think I look like one?"  
Mercer looked her in the eyes.  
"That is the idea, isn't it?" she said. "For you to fit in among them so you can observe without being noticed?"  
"Well, yes, but..."  
"I believe you will fit in just fine, miss Lane. If you stand out at all, it will be because you look better than most."  
Lois couldn't decide what she felt more, insulted or flattered. She decided to try to change the subject.  
"So," she said. "How do you plan to get me in?"  
Mercer looked at her again.  
"Not that I consciously planned it," she said. "But I imagine the car will stop in front of the entrance, and we will walk inside."  
Lois blinked.  
"I'm going as _your_ escort?" she blurted out.  
"Of course," Mercer said. "What did you expect?"  
She had expected some kind of subterfuge, a stealing in through a back door or sneaking past distracted security. She had not expected to pretend to be what was basically a prostitute hired by her own boss. Her own _female_ boss. Images of herself naked under Mercer flashed past her inner eye.  
"But you're a woman," her mouth blurted out before she could stop it.  
A _hot_ woman, Lois' libido noted. Severe-looking in a strict tailored jacket and matching skirt, her hair bound up in a tight bun. The images of nakedness were not at all unpleasant.  
"Ah, the observational acuity I pay you for," Mercer said. "Will that be a problem for you, Lane?"  
Lois felt her face grow hot. It was mostly, but not entirely, embarrassment.  
"No," she said. "Of course not. I just didn't know your taste ran to women."  
Mercer closed her laptop and put it aside.  
"I take my pleasure with both men and women," she said. "Although most of my long-term relationships have been with women. Not that that is any of your business."  
"I know this is not a red-carpet event," Lois said. "But there will be photographers taking pictures of the people arriving, from the _Planet_ as well as other papers."  
Oh God. It just occurred to her that _Jimmy_ would certainly be there. Her cousin's fiancé would be taking pictures of Lois pretending to be her own boss' whore. She felt her blush grow more intense.  
"I'm sure people will understand that you're only after a story," Mercer said. "And if not, well, it's already well-known that you have no compunctions about sleeping with your bosses."  
Lois felt almost like she had been slapped, and the harsh statement left her momentarily breathless. Her first impulse was to defend herself, point out that it had only happened the one time, but she managed to keep silent. Arguing wouldn't help. Most likely it would only prove to Mercer that she'd managed to draw verbal blood.  
"Once we're inside, what happens then?" Lois said.  
"We both go to work," Mercer said. "You will have to stay near me, but since I'm there to discuss business with a whole lot of people I don't think that will hamper your reporting. Now if you'll excuse me, I have some work to do before we arrive."  
She picked her laptop back up and opened it. Lois turned to look out the window. Or at least aimed her eyes that way, since too many distracting images were still playing in her brain for her to pay any attention to the outside.

A soft chime rang through the car. Mercer pushed a button on her armrest.  
"Yes?" she said.  
"We'll be arriving in a moment, ma'am," the driver's voice said via some hidden speaker.  
"Good," Mercer said.  
There was an almost inaudible pop as the speaker shut off again.  
"Are you ready, miss Lane?" Mercer said. "There is still time for you to back out."  
"Back out?" Lois said. "I don't back out."  
Mercer smiled at her.   
"I was hoping you'd say that," she said.  
She leaned forward, then reached out and put her hand on Lois' cheek. The hand was warm and soft, and Lois had no clue what to do about it. She just say there, looking at Mercer.  
"I like some backbone in my... subordinates," she said.  
That's so not the word she was thinking, flashed through Lois' mind. Although what she was thinking probably started with the same syllable. Lois' mouth suddenly felt dry, and her heart was back to racing a million miles a minute. She felt the car slow down at the same time as Mercer moved her hand down and quite firmly took hold of Lois' chin. She gently pulled. Lois hesitated for a fraction of a second, and then let herself be pulled forward. Mercer met her face with her own, and before Lois' brain had had time to catch up to what was happening they were kissing.  
They were kissing.  
She was kissing Tess Mercer. There were lips touching hers, and a probing tongue seeking entrance. She opened her mouth and met it with her own as her eyes fluttered closed. All her senses narrowed down to the sensation of the kiss. Fires of desire flared up inside her, and she had begun to reach out her hand for more when Tess suddenly let go.  
Lois looked at her, momentarily confused. Tess was smiling at her.  
"Just so we know where we stand," she said. "Time to go to work."  
The car door was open. Lois hadn't even noticed that they'd stopped. Outside the car was one of Metropolis' most luxurious hotels, the whole of which was rented by the Meerman Summit. The driver was holding the door open, and while Lois desperately tried to gather her thoughts Tess stepped out of the car. Which meant that she bent down with her luscious backside pointing squarely at Lois.  
Lois swallowed. This wasn't at all going as she'd imagined.

* * *

The event both was and was not like something Lois had imagined in advance. There was, obviously, a mix of business types, politicians and high-priced escorts. What she hadn't guessed was that the two former types would spend a lot of time talking to each other, and that the latter kind would include quite so many men. Not that there were all that many, really, maybe one in ten or so, but given that it hadn't even occurred to her that they existed at all that was certainly surprisingly many.  
There was also one thing that was lightyears away from anything she had imagined in advance: Tess Mercer. First, that she was there at all. Lois had imagined that she'd be in here alone, not that her boss would also be here. Although, in retrospect, it really should have been obvious to her that Tess would be present. She was, after all, the head of LuthorCorp, and thus one of the most important industrial magnates in the city.  
Second, that she kept _touching_ Lois. Yes, sure, that was what pretty much everyone who had brought one or more escorts along was doing, but this was... _Tess_. Her _boss_. Who, even now as she was talking to a politician about zoning permits for factories, had a hand resting on Lois' ass.  
It wouldn't have been nearly as distracting if Lois herself had been able to decide if she wanted Tess to stop it or do it more. The more rational part of her was insisting that it was wrong, and ought to stop right now. Sure, she'd had a relationship with her editor the year before. But that was, at least, only her boss. This was a lesbian fling with the head of LuthorCorp. Or, rather, it might be. If she was lucky and Tess actually wanted her, rather than simply enjoying leading her on. And that last bit was her not-so-rational part's opinion.  
"Thank you, councilman," Tess said. "I'll have my assistant send over the paperwork tomorrow."  
"A pleasure, as always," the old man said, his gaze glued to Lois' cleavage.   
Tess strolled away, without removing her hand from Lois' rear. They were in the gala dining room at the hotel, which for this event had had its normal compliment of tables and chairs reduced to only a number of tables laden with easily eaten food. Drinks were constantly handed out by tray-carrying serving staff.  
"That went well," Tess said. "I really should bring you along to more negotiations. It seems your bust can turn the most stubborn men into gibbering idiots."  
"Thanks, I guess," Lois said.  
"So are you getting what you came for?"  
Lois hesitated.  
"I've heard enough for several articles," she said. "But given that you were there in every case, I'm not sure if I could get any of them published."  
"Only a matter of timing," Tess said. "Take this last one, for example. I certainly won't let anything through until those papers are signed. But after that, I have no objection. If I'm lucky it might even get his party to throw him out, and give me a chance to get his seat filled with someone I control."  
Lois stared at her for a breath or two.  
"No, I can't even pretend to be surprised," she said. "You're the head of LuthorCorp. I believe you can turn anything to your advantage."  
Tess smiled at her.  
"Not quite _anything_ ," she said. "There are plenty of things I cannot do anything about. Competitors standing in my way, politicians going the wrong way, dull events I have to attend for appearances' sake..."  
While she spoke, her hand moved from Lois' behind, along her hip, up her side, in under the front of her silky dress and ended up cupping Lois' breast. A finger slowly circled the nipple.  
"...But I must admit I'm enjoying this event far more than I expected to when I accepted the invitation," Tess finished her sentence.  
Lois' rational side had lost the support of the rest of her one stimulated nerve ending at a time as Tess' hand journeyed across her body.  
"This, um, is a bit public, isn't it?" Lois said.  
Her breath didn't quite work.  
Tess pinched her nipple, making her let out a yelp from mixed pleasure and pain.  
" _Si fueris Romae, Romano vivito more_ ," Tess said. "You know quite well that this is a very private event. That's why I got to take you here, remember?"  
"What was that?" Lois said.  
Tess sighed.  
"When in Rome, do as the Romans," she said. "Look around you. See how the mighty treat their purchased companions."  
Lois looked around. It didn't take her many seconds to realize that what Tess was currently doing to her was pretty tame, in comparison to some. Lois was still wearing all the clothes she'd arrived in, to begin with. And she wasn't on her knees. Not all escorts were being handled that way, and some seemed hardly to be touched at all, but Lois got the impression that her own treatment was definitely at the tame end of the scale.  
She licked her lips.  
"So what are you going to do?" she said.  
Tess pulled Lois in closer, put her mouth to Lois' ear. Her finger was still steadily caressing Lois' nipple.  
"I'm going to give you a choice," Tess whispered.  
The feeling of her warm breath sent shivers of pleasure down Lois' spine. She wanted those lips on her skin. Wanted it badly.  
"What choice?" she whispered.  
"You've seen and heard enough to write your article," Tess whispered. "To win your prize. You won't know what may happen later tonight, true, but you already know more than any other journalist ever has."  
Lois closed her eyes and leaned her head against Tess'.  
"You could leave now," Tess whispered. "Walk out of here, go home and write your article. It won't get published until the end of the week, but what does a couple of days matter when the world has been waiting for it for over fifteen years?"  
She fell silent.  
"Or?" Lois asked when she couldn't bear the waiting any more.  
Tess gently nibbled her earlobe before answering, sending more and stronger shivers down Lois' body.  
"Or you can stay," Tess said. "Stay and let me play with you. You can stay, and have me treat you as I desire. Stay, and follow my every command. Not because you get paid to. Not because I am your employer. But simply because you want to. Because you want me to tear your clothes off. Because you want to kneel naked before me and lick my feet. Because you want me to tie you down and spank you until you come like a freight train. Because you want me to grab you by the hair and shove your face between my legs. Because you want me to use you mercilessly for my own pleasure. That is why you will choose to stay."  
The words fell on Lois like chains. With every sentence, every word, she grew more excited. She was not just breathing heavily, but outright panting. Her nipples were hard as little pebbles, both the one Tess was playing with and the one that was still safely hidden by the dress front. She could feel her own juices soaking the fancy underwear she'd bought.   
Tess licked the side of Lois' neck, and this time Lois didn't just shiver. Her entire body trembled from the sensation.  
"In a moment," Tess whispered in her ear, "I will let go of this delicious breast of yours. When I do, you will choose. Either you will walk out that door over there and never come back. Or you will turn to face me, fall to your knees and pull down your dress so I can see your tits. Do you understand?"  
This is crazy, Lois thought. I can't be doing this. I can't bare myself to my boss. Except it felt so very, very good...  
"I understand," she breathed.  
I'll walk out, she thought. I'll walk out that door, find a secluded corner and masturbate like I haven't since I was a teenager. I'll tear the fancy-ass panties off and ram my fingers so hard up my snatch it'll leave bruises.  
Tess pinched her nipple again, a little harder this time. Lois let out a moan that started somewhere around her toes.  
"Very well," Tess whispered. "Choose."  
Her hand vanished from Lois' breast, leaving the suddenly cold touch of the dress' fabric. She stepped back, and when her support went away Lois thought for a moment that her knees would simply buckle. With an effort, she remained standing.  
Right, she thought. Door. Outside. Cold night air. Getting myself off in a public place. Instead of, you know, staying in the warm with the free food and the free booze and getting comprehensively fucked by a beautiful woman.   
By the time she'd consciously made the decision to stay, she found that she was already turning around. Tess was standing there, ramrod straight, looking at her with an expression that Lois at first found unreadable. It wasn't until her knees hit the cold marble floor and the expression changed into triumph mixed with lust that she realized it had been uncertainty. That Tess hadn't been sure if Lois would leave or stay. That Lois hadn't actually been as powerless as she'd felt. The last little worry at the back of her head, the final little doubt that she was doing the right thing, evaporated. She grabbed the top of the dress with both hands and pulled it down, freeing her breasts. She held that pose, still holding on to the cloth, and looked up at Tess. At her mistress, at least for the night.  
Tess went down on one knee in front of her. She put her hands on Lois' breasts, stroking them and lifting them as if to feel their weight.  
"Good girl," she said.  
She leaned in and kissed Lois, hard and insistent. Unlike before in the car, this time she invaded Lois' mouth with her tongue, claiming and investigating her territory. Lois were making little noises in her throat, noises that drowned in the hot mouth on hers. She pushed her chest forward, harder, into the caressing hands. She hoped that one of those hands would find its way down between her legs. Instead, both the hands and the mouth suddenly disappeared.  
Lois looked up, off-balance and confused. Tess was standing in front of her again, smiling cruelly down at her.  
"Put your dress back on and get up," she said. "I'm hungry, and there are still a couple of people I want to talk to."  
Trembling with unsatisfied lust, Lois did as she was told.

* * *

It took Tess more than an hour to finish talking to the people she wanted to talk to, and she insisted that Lois stay silent and smiling at her side all that time. Which Lois did. Once the lust-induced haze receded a bit from her brain, she started wondering exactly _why_ she did. She wasn't usually the obedient type. Far from it, actually. If someone had told Chloe that Lois would meekly stand by and look pretty just because her boss told her to, her cousin would've either laughed her ass off or dragged Lois off to the hospital. Nor was she sexually submissive. Or was she?  
It was hard to avoid the fact that only minutes before she'd been more turned on than she could remember ever being before. Or that the cause of that had been Tess, and Tess ordering her around. Lois had never actually tried dominance games with her earlier partners. She'd just assumed it wasn't her sort of thing. Apparently, she'd been wrong. Simply casting her mind back a few minutes to when she'd been kneeling with Tess' hands on her breasts made her weak-kneed with desire.  
Maybe it'd pass once she had a good, solid orgasm. She'd been excited to some degree ever since Tess had kissed her in the limo. That might well turn her thoughts in strange directions. Yes, that was probably it. She was simply going temporarily crazy from frustration. Good thing her dress had these crazy high slits in the sides. She started sliding her hand in under the skirt. It had enough folds that it should be able to mask what she was doing. From a distance. If she was careful.  
Someone grabbed her wrist. She looked up and saw that Tess had finished talking to the old man she'd had business with, and returned her attention to Lois. At the worst possible time, damn the bad luck.  
"Bad girl," Tess said. "No playing with yourself."  
She smiled.  
"Unless I tell you to, of course."  
Lois let out an exaggerated sigh.  
"Whatever," she said.   
Tess' smile widened.  
"You're so beautiful when you're angry, do you know that?" she said.  
"Thanks, I guess," Lois said.  
"Turn around," Tess said. "Face away from me."  
Frowning, Lois did as she was told. Before she had time to more than start wondering what Tess was up to, first her right and then her left arm were pulled behind her back and cold metal hoops ratcheted into place around her wrists.  
"Hey!" Lois said, abruptly turning around.   
She tried to get her arms in front of her, but they were solidly chained together behind her back. She glared at Tess, who smiled back at her.  
"Is there a problem?" she said.  
"You handcuffed me!" Lois said.  
"Well, yes. So what?"  
Lois found herself speechless. What did she mean 'so what'?  
Tess stroked Lois' face.  
"Perhaps you already forgot that you stayed here so I can do whatever I want with you?" Tess said. "I want you handcuffed. So you are handcuffed. Very simple."  
She placed a soft, brief kiss on Lois' lips.  
"But perhaps I should give you a bit of an explanation, if you can't figure it out yourself," Tess said. "I don't want you to be able to do this."  
She reached under Lois' skirt, in between her legs and ran a fingernail up along Lois' silk-covered labia. The sensation made Lois cry out in pleasure, and it was only with an heroic effort of will that she managed to keep standing as her knees buckled. She stared angrily at Tess, panting.  
"Bitch," she said.  
"Do you really think that's a clever thing to say, in your situation?" Tess said. "Maybe I'll decide to punish you."  
She grabbed Lois' chin and forced the bound woman to look her into the eyes.  
"Maybe I won't let you come all night," she said.  
Lois licked her lips nervously. It really hadn't been a clever thing to say.  
"I'm sorry?" she tried.  
"Well, now," Tess said. "Good start. But I think you can be more apologetic than that."  
It wasn't that hard to figure out what she wanted to hear.  
"I'm sorry, mistress," Lois said. "I won't do that again. Please forgive me."  
"That's better," Tess said and let go of her chin. "It'll do for the moment. Now, my pretty, are you hungry?"  
Food had been so far from Lois' mind that she had to make an effort to readjust her thoughts before she could answer. Somewhat to her surprise, she found that she was.   
"Yes," she said.  
"Yes, mistress," she quickly corrected herself.   
Tess smiled at her.   
"There'll be a dinner party in a little while," Tess said. "I haven't made my mind up if I want to go or not. What do you think, pretty?"  
Lois licked her lips. It was an obvious trick question.  
"Whatever you wish, mistress," she said. "But it would be hard for me to eat with my hands behind my back."  
"I guess I would have to feed you," Tess said. "That might be fun."  
Not to mention quite humiliating. Lois felt herself start to flush even at the thought of it.  
"We'll see," Tess said. "In the meantime, there's one more person I want to have a brief chat with. While I do that, why don't you go to the reception and pick up my keycard? I've booked the presidential suite."  
"Um, sure," Lois said.  
"Excellent," Tess said.  
She gave Lois a brief kiss, then turned and walked away.

Walking through the hotel was a strange experience. For one, she had her hands cuffed behind her back. It made it harder than usual to keep her balance, and she wished a little that she hadn't chosen to wear quite as high heels as she had. If she stumbled and fell, it would be unpleasant.  
The other weird part was that the place was clearly turning into the kind of orgy the rumors had claimed it was. The average amount of clothing worn had dropped considerably in the past hour or so, and on her way to the reception she saw several badly concealed couples and groups engaged in sexual activities. Quite like she and Tess had done earlier, so he could hardly disapprove that much.   
"Um, excuse me?" she said once she reached the reception desk.  
There were two young women behind it, dressed properly in hotel uniforms. One of them seemed to try her best not to see what was going on, the other was freely looking around. The latter one responded to Lois.  
"Yes, miss?" she said. "Can I help you?"  
"I would like to pick up a keycard," she said. "For Tess Mercer. The presidential suite."  
"Certainly," the young woman said. "If I could just have your name?"  
Lois looked at her. Of course she wouldn't hand over the card to just anyone. Lois would have to stand there, dressed like a high-class hooker, with her hands cuffed, and boldly say who she was. Which Tess had definitely known. Silently, Lois called her far worse things than bitch, then screwed up her courage and smiled.  
"I'm Lois Lane," she said.  
The girl turned to her monitor. Sarah, her name tag claimed she was called.  
"Yes, miss, you're on the list," she said after a few seconds. "Just a moment and I'll print the card for you."  
A machine of some kind started making grinding noises behind the reception desk. Which, Lois suddenly noticed, was rather high. Higher than she could lift her arms when they were chained together behind her back. She cursed, silently and to herself.  
"Here you are, miss," Sarah said.  
She held out the card for Lois to take. Lois looked at it and furiously tried to think. When the obvious idea occurred to her she almost winced. She pushed her chest forward as much as she could.  
"If you'll just stick it in," she said.  
She realized what she'd said a split second too late. This time the wince wasn't silent.  
Sarah smiled, leaned forward and stuck the card into the top of Lois' dress.  
"There you go, miss," she said. "Enjoy your stay."

She found Tess more or less where she'd left her. She had acquired a glass of champagne and was talking to a tall middle-aged woman. Neither of them paid any attention when Lois arrived.   
"I, um, have the key card," Lois said after a little while.  
"Mistress," she added, trying to make the word as inconspicuous as possible.  
The tall woman looked her up and down, clearly judging her.  
"Where did you hire that one?" she said. "Pretty enough, I suppose, but her training is obviously lacking."  
"Oh, she's not a hire," Tess said. "She's a... volunteer."  
"Really?" the tall woman said. "Recent?"  
"Very."  
"In that case, I suppose I should leave you to enjoy her. I'll be seeing you, dear."  
She threw a cold smile in the direction of Lois and left.  
"So it went well?" Tess said.  
"Pretty much," Lois said.  
She tried to nod toward her own cleavage.  
"The card is right there."  
Instead of taking it, Tess took her by the hips, pulled her close and kissed her. Her hands moved down inside Lois' dress and grabbed her buttocks. The lust that had faded to a steady glow inside Lois while she was off getting the card suddenly flared into intense life again. She pressed herself to Tess as hard as she could, and got into the kiss with all the enthusiasm she could muster. A hand stole in between her legs and for a few moments circled her vaginal opening. Unable to stop herself, Lois moaned loudly around the kiss.   
Tess broke the kiss and took her hands off Lois, who took an involuntary step backwards. Tess' face was flushed, and when she spoke her voice was duskier than usual.  
"We'll be eating in the suite," she said. "And if you don't hurry over to the elevators, I'll be ripping your dress off right here."  
Lois found herself hesitating. The idea of having Tess forcibly undress her in semi-public felt surprisingly exciting. But it only lasted for a moment before what remained of her common sense got through to her. She turned and headed for the elevators as fast as she dared to walk.

The moment the elevator doors closed behind them, Tess pushed Lois up against the wall and kissed her hard. Lois kissed her back as hard as she could, and was rewarded a moment later by a thigh forcing its way in between her legs and pressing on her crotch. Which felt fantastic. She moved her hips, trying to get more pressure, more friction, more feeling. Just a little while more and she could come.  
Before she got there, the lovely leg vanished and the kiss broke.  
"Not yet," Tess said.  
"Please," Lois tried to say. It came out more like a pleading groan.  
The elevator stopped and the doors opened. Tess walked out, and Lois followed. A dark-suited man with an earpiece was standing next to the elevator. He nodded at Tess.  
"Good evening, ma'am," he said. "Everything is clear."  
"Good," Tess said. "When the food arrives, have them put the cart outside the door and knock. Other than that, make sure I'm not disturbed for the rest of the night."  
"Of course, ma'am."  
The corridor had only three doors, one of which was the elevator. The other two were at opposite ends of the corridor. Tess headed for one of them without hesitation, and Lois simply followed. She thought she could feel the guard's eyes follow her all the way. When they got to the door, Tess simply picked the keycard out of Lois' dress and opened the door.  
"In," she said, nodding into the suite.  
Lois walked past her through the door, feeling painfully aware of how vulnerable she currently was. And of how intensely she wanted Tess to touch her. She stopped when she heard the door close behind her.  
The room was, predictably, huge and lavishly furnished. Two entire walls were windows, with a stunning view of the Metropolis skyline. The only light came from outside and a few dim spotlights aimed at paintings and statues, leaving most of the room a faint twilight.   
"Ah, there," she heard Tess mumble behind her. A moment later she felt her dress' zipper being pulled down, loosening the fit of it enough that the top simply fell forward. Tess pushed the dress down past Lois' hips, and all of it fell the rest of the way to the floor. Without being asked to, Lois stepped out of it. A metallic sound and a couple of sharp tugs around her hips followed, and she saw her ruined panties get tossed to the side, leaving her naked but for the gold-and-red stockings. Something clattered onto a small side table. Lois turned to look. A small, efficient-looking folding knife lay there.  
"You carry a knife?" she said, surprised and a little scared.  
"Tonight, yes," Tess said. "Usually it's knives."  
A finger touched Lois between the shoulder blades and moved down her spine until it reached the handcuff chain.  
"Now what shall I do with you first," Tess said.  
She reached around Lois and grabbed a breast, rolling the nipple between finger and thumb.  
"This, maybe?" she said.  
Lois let out a moan.  
The hand went away, only to reappear at the back of her thighs. It forced its way in between their tops, a task made quite easy by the plentiful wetness there. The tip of a finger slid along Lois' vulva, ending up pressing on her clitoris.  
"Aah!" Lois gasped.  
Again it took an heroic effort to stay standing, and by the time she had her balance back her legs were quite a bit farther apart and her torso was bent noticeably forward.  
"Liked that, did you?" Tess said.  
She moved her finger, sending further shudders of pleasure through Lois.  
"Ye-es," Lois gasped.  
He finger went away. Lois drew a couple of deep breaths and stood up straight again. She deliberately didn't close her legs. If Tess let her, Lois definitely wanted to make it easy for her to reach between them. Sounds of rustling cloth came from behind her.  
"A little more light, I think," Tess said.  
Steps moved off to the side, and Lois heard the rasp of a lighter at the same time as the light of a flame appeared.  
She looked to the side. Tess was lighting candles over on another table. She was also naked, the candlelight flickering over her smooth skin. The sight momentarily took Lois' breath away. When she was done with the candles, Tess came and stood in front of Lois. She gave her a quick kiss.  
"I've been waiting all night to do this," she said.   
She slid her hand up Lois' neck, grabbing a firm hold of her hair, then pulled down slowly but firmly. Lois fell to her knees. Tess parted her legs. Her pubic hair was neatly trimmed, and Lois could see that she was every bit as wet and excited as Lois herself was. She was already moving her head closer when she felt Tess' hand push her in. She closed her eyes, opened her mouth and let her tongue play over the silky smooth labia. It wasn't long before a second hand joined the first in her hair, and they guided and pressed and moved her face to exactly where Tess wanted it. She wished she had the use of her hands, so she could slide her fingers inside the vagina she was so close to, but she didn't even have the option to ask. Tess wanted her to use her mouth for other things than talking, so that's what she did. She loved the feeling of helplessness it gave her, the lack of responsibility. There was no need to figure out what was the right thing to do, or decide what should be done. All she had to do was to follow instructions.   
If someone had told her only earlier the same day that was how she'd feel, she would've laughed at them. If they'd claimed that she'd get off on having Tess Mercer more or less masturbate herself with Lois' face, she'd likely have slapped them.   
The noises Tess were making were getting more and more urgent, and she was grabbing Lois' hair harder and harder, grinding Lois' face into her groin harder and faster. Lois did her best to keep up, to lick the sensitive lips, suck on the clitoris and when possible tease the vaginal opening with her tongue.   
Finally, Tess' hands stopped and just held Lois' head firmly in place. Lois could feel Tess' whole body shudder as a drawn-out moan came from above. After what felt to Lois like a very long time, Tess let out a very deep sigh and relaxed. She let go of Lois' head and stumbled backwards a couple of steps before catching herself. She smiled at Lois.  
"You're a lot better at that than I expected, Lane," she said. "Had plenty of practice?"  
She was smiling and looked a lot more relaxed than before. Which was not at all how Lois was feeling. Her shoulders were beginning to ache from keeping her arms in the same position for so long, and the sexual excitement was fast turning into frustration. She made an attempt to wipe her face on her shoulder before she answered. It didn't work particularly well.  
"Everything I do, I do well," she said.   
Tess walked over to a sofa and sat down.  
"Do you want to come?" she asked.  
Lois licked her lips.  
"Yes," she said. "Please. Mistress."  
"Come over here," Tess said. "Lie across my lap. Face down."  
Lois frowned in confusion for a moment, and then remembered that earlier in the evening Tess had said something about spanking. She hesitated. Being ordered around, humiliated and sexually used was one thing, but at least it didn't hurt.  
"Don't tell me you're going to disobey _now_?" Tess said.  
Lois gathered her courage, got to her feet somewhat unstably and walked over to Tess. She made an effort to do the sexiest walk she could. From the way Tess' gaze stuck around her hips, she guessed it worked. She got up on her knees on the sofa next to Tess, and tried her best to lie down across Tess' lap without simply falling over. She'd never really appreciated how useful arms were before. While she was trying to maneuver herself into position, Tess kept stroking and groping her. It did not make it any easier to concentrate on what she was doing.  
"You have really great breasts," Tess said, her hand gently stroking said body parts.  
She bent forward and placed a kiss between Lois' shoulder blades.  
"I'll forgive you for that, as long as I can play with them," she said.  
Lois frowned. She was just about to ask what the Hell Tess meant by _that_ , when a hand struck her ass. The words she was about to speak turned into a surprised yell. Another blow fell on her other buttock, and another, and another. The pain from the sharp impacts gradually turned into a slow burn all over her backside.  
A burn that seemed to spread throughout her body, except as arousal instead of pain. She pressed her thighs together, trying for stimulation.  
"Uh-uh," Tess said. "Spread them."  
"Huh?" Lois said.   
All of a sudden her brain was back to not working so well.  
"Spread. Your. Legs," Tess said, punctuating each word with a slap.  
Lois spread her legs as far as she could. Which, given the sofa's constraints, wasn't all that far.  
"Good girl," Tess said. "And good girls get rewarded."  
The hand that had just landed in a slap moved in a gentle caress across the well-rounded buttock, in between Lois' thighs. It reached the wet-slick vulva, and at the same moment as the hand that was still on Lois' breast tweaked her nipple, a finger slid inside her. She cried out again, but this time in pure pleasure. The finger moved back and forth inside her, and it didn't take many seconds before she was mewling with need and aimlessly moving her hips.  
The hand vanished from between her legs, and a second later blows started falling on her ass again. This time it was even harder than before to tell the difference between pain and pleasure. She tried to move, tried to use her chained arms, tried to do anything to increase the stimulation.  
The hand returned to between her legs. This time, two fingers slid inside her.  
"Beg me," Tess said, squeezing first one and then the other of Lois' breasts. "Beg me to make you come."  
All thoughts of dignity or pride were gone, blown away by Lois' intense need to climax.  
"Please," she said. "Please, mistress, make me come. I need to. Please."  
The fingers inside her moved a little.  
"Is that the best you can do?" Tess said. "Aren't you supposed to be a writer of sorts?"  
"Please," Lois said again, desperation rising. "I'll do anything you want. Just make me come. I'll let you do whatever you want to me. Please."  
More pinches of her nipples. The fingers slowly moved out, then slid back in. It was good, so good, but not enough. Then, without warning, both the hand on her breasts and the one at her pussy vanished.  
"No," Tess said.  
It took several seconds for the meaning to penetrate.  
"What?" Lois said.  
"No," Tess said. "No orgasm."  
"But...! _Please!_ "  
She could hear the desperation in her own voice, and some distant part of herself burned with shame at it.  
Tess stroked her hair.  
"Just so you know who's in charge," she said.  
Tears of frustration were welling up in Lois' eyes. Something inside her gave up. She relaxed.  
"Yes, mistress," she said.  
Tess moved, and with a couple of metallic clicks Lois' arms were free.  
"Tell you what," Tess said. "I'll give you a chance to earn yourself an orgasm."  
"Thank you, mistress," Lois said, and that same distant part of herself winced at the genuine need and gratitude in the words.  
"Get down on the floor," Tess said.   
Lois moved ungraciously off her lap and onto the thick carpet in front of the sofa. Half-sitting there, she looked up at Tess.  
"Kiss my feet," Tess said.   
Lois bent down and did as she was told. Tess hadn't taken off her high-heeled shoes, so the amount of skin she could reach was limited.  
"Now keep going up," Tess said. "Kiss and caress your way up my legs to my pussy. Using your hands and your surprisingly skilled mouth, make me come. You may not touch yourself, of course. Do well, and we'll see about making you come. Understood?"  
"Yes, mistress," Lois said.  
She set about doing as she was told. Kneeling in front of Tess, she started caressing and kissing her way up one calf, then the other. She stroked the smooth, warm skin and gently massaged the firm muscle beneath. She licked and softly scratched. It didn't take long before she heard Tess' breathing grow heavy. When Lois licked her way past a knee, Tess slid down so her hips were at the edge of the sofa cushion, and spread her legs wider. Lois continued working her way up the inside of the thigh. She tried her best to go slow, but her own intense lust made that difficult. She tried to focus harder, concentrate on the lovely piece of skin right under her lips. Tried not to think about anything else. Not the wet sex mere inches away, not the popping sound from above or the clinking that followed. Just the warm flesh that needed to be pleasured. Fingers played with her hair.  
"You are such a vision," Tess said softly. "I could almost come just from seeing you like this."  
The hand in her hair moved to her chin and gently guided her face to look up. Tess was smiling down at her. She sipped from a champagne glass.  
"Skip to the middle, my pretty," she said.  
Lois immediately moved the last inch forward and gave her a long, solid lick from the opening of her vagina all the way up to her clitoris.  
"Oh God!" Tess exclaimed. "Fuck!"  
She was every bit as wet as she'd been when Lois licked her before, so Lois saw no reason to hesitate. She concentrated her tongue's work at the higher end, and slowly slid first one finger and then two inside Tess. There was a steady sound of heavy breathing and moaning from above, and after a little while Tess put her legs around Lois, feet resting on Lois' back.  
"God, I could stay like this all night," Tess breathed.  
Lois knees were starting to hurt. Her arm was getting tired, not to mention her tongue. Even so she agreed with Tess. She'd happily keep it up until she physically couldn't any longer. She reached up with her free arm and began to fondle one of Tess' breasts.  
"Mmm, yes," Tess said. "Good girl."  
She put her own hand on top of Lois' and stroked it.  
Lois kept licking and moving her fingers, wishing she could touch herself. Her arousal was back at the level where it was almost a delicious ache. She kept going, and gradually the noises coming from Tess grew more urgent and her hips moved more and more. Lois increased her efforts, ignoring her tired body parts in order to lick and suck harder, move her hand faster. The legs around her hugged her harder. She added another finger to the two in Tess' vagina, and tried to hit the spots inside her that provoked the strongest reactions. She kept going, and going, and going until finally Tess' legs clenched hard, her entire body went rigid and a desperate drawn-out moan dragged on for far longer than Lois had thought possible. Finally, she relaxed. Her legs around Lois fell away. Lois carefully pulled her fingers out, which got a weak yelp as a response.  
Lois sat back on her heels, uncertainly looking up at Tess. After a little while, Tess looked back down at her and smiled.  
" _Please_ , mistress?" Lois said.   
Tess pulled one leg up to her chest and leaned its knee as far out as she could, while stretching the other leg straight out in front of her. She patted the thigh of the latter leg.  
"Come here," she said.   
Lois clambered up on the sofa and straddled the offered thigh, facing Tess. When her oh-so-wet sex touched the other woman's leg, she let out a sigh and her eyes closed. Fingers raked through her pubes.  
"You earned your reward," Tess said. "But you have to look at me while you get it."  
Lois opened her eyes and looked at Tess. Gorgeous, gorgeous Tess. Their eyes met, and Lois found it impossible to look away.   
"Kiss me," Tess said.  
Lois leaned forward to do as she was told. She had to put her hands on Tess' shoulders in order to not fall, and when she leaned forward the top of her vulva ended up right on top of Tess' fingers. Not by chance, she was sure. The kiss was hard and urgent from Lois' side, slow and teasing from Tess'. Lois tried to stay still, but when Tess moved her fingers a little she couldn't help grinding her hips. Tess grabbed her hair and pulled her head away so the kiss broke.  
"Go ahead," she said. "Ride my leg, Lane. You may come. And keep looking at me."  
The hand that wasn't lodged at Lois' crotch started playing with her breasts. Lois started moving her hips, rubbing herself against Tess' leg and fingers. As she moved, the fingers slowly moved further in under her, until they began to bend upwards and enter her. She did her best to help, and it wasn't long before she was rocking back and forth, being penetrated when she leaned back and pushing her clitoris against Tess' thumb when she leaned forward. Her movements quickly got more and more urgent. Tess was squeezing her breasts and pinching her nipples, both of which felt wonderful.   
And then suddenly arousal was exploding inside her, and she lost control of herself entirely. She heard herself scream as utter pleasure obliterated all thought. Wave after wave of ever more intense ecstasy coursed through her body, until she finally collapsed like a wrung-out rag against Tess.  
Tess put her arms around Lois and stroked her hair.  
"Are you OK?" she said.  
Lois took a mental inventory. There were quite a few achy and tender spots she hadn't been aware of before, but on the whole she felt amazing.  
"Yeah," she said.  
Gradually, she realized that she was naked and leaning against a just as naked Tess. Their breasts were squished against each other. Lois' head was leaning on Tess' shoulder. She was still straddling Tess' leg.  
"Your leg," she said, starting to move.  
Tess held her back.  
"My leg is fine," she said. "Relax. Here."  
Lois focused her eyes so she could see what Tess was talking about. There was a champagne glass being held in front of her.  
"Open up," Tess said.  
Lois opened her mouth, and Tess put the glass to her lips and tilted it. Lois managed to get most of the bubbly liquid down her throat, with only a little dribbling down on her breasts. It tasted divine.  
"Thank you," she said.  
Leaning on and being hugged by Tess felt very nice. Bit by bit, some energy returned to her various body parts, and before too long her nether regions began to inform her that they were still being pressed against a leg by most of her body weight. When she started to move, Tess did too. They rearranged themselves into a more comfortable position that was still very close and had Lois being held by Tess.  
"Hungry?" Tess said after a while.  
Apparently, this was a magic word. In an instant, Lois went from feeling perfectly fine to being ravenous. Her stomach made a rumbling noise.  
"Like you wouldn't believe," she said.   
"Stay," Tess said.  
She extracted herself, walked over to the door and got the serving cart that was waiting outside. Smells of food wafted through the room. Even with her hunger and the smell, Lois couldn't wrest her attention away from Tess' naked form. The main lighting in the room was still the candles, and they still produced the most gorgeous play of light and shadows over the other woman's athletic body as she heaped food onto a plate.  
"I should be going home," Lois said when Tess handed her the overloaded plate.  
"No," Tess said.  
Lois looked up at her, mildly confused.  
Tess bent down and placed a kiss on Lois' forehead, then put her hand at Lois' throat, squeezing just hard enough to be a little uncomfortable.  
"The summit lasts until lunch tomorrow," she said. "I'm far from done having fun with you yet."  
Lois went from zero to horny as hell so fast it left her head spinning. In seconds, her nipples were rock hard, her heart beating twice as fast and someone turned on a spigot between her legs.   
"Ok," she said meekly.  
Tess tsk:ed at her.  
"You know better than that," she said.   
Lois looked up at her. She did, really.  
"As you wish, mistress," she corrected herself.  
She was really looking forward to the rest of the night.

* * *

The first-ever article on the Meerman Summit went into print Friday morning. From the moment Lois set foot at the office she was constantly bothered by colleagues more or less honestly congratulating her. Nobody mentioned the pool money. Which was fine with Lois, at least for the moment. It could wait, and it'd be really tacky to bring it up immediately. And the respect and jealousy coming her way was what she really wanted anyway.  
She was sitting in front of her computer vainly trying to concentrate on a story about an upcoming City Council vote when Jimmy sidled up to her desk. He looked nervous, and was clutching a paper.  
"Um," he said.  
She looked up at him.  
"Yes, Jimmy," she said. "What is it?"  
He handed over the paper. Lois looked at it. It was a photograph. Of a car parked at the curb of a Metropolis street. A limo, more specifically. It's rear door was being held open by a man dressed in a dark suit. Inside the limo, two women were kissing. Their faces were clearly visible. One was Tess Mercer and the other Lois herself. Of course.  
"Chloe had me delete the file," Jimmy said. "I just thought maybe you'd want that as a... memento or something. If you don't, you can always feed it to the shredder."  
"Can I see?" Clark said from the other desk.  
"No!" Lois said. "Jimmy, please go..."  
She was interrupted before she got the entire sentence out, short as it was.  
"Miss Lane?"  
Tess Mercer's voice cut through the room like a laser beam through butter. All conversations suddenly died, leaving the room dead silent.  
"May I have a word?" Tess said. "If you're not too busy?"  
"No," Lois said, "of course not. Or, I mean, of course you can have a word. I'm not too busy."  
Tess made her way through the room. She looked cool and formidable in her business suit. Her face was grim, and people scattered out of her path for fear of annoying her further.  
"Miss Lane," she repeated once she'd got to Lois' desk. "I've had some feedback on your article on the Meerman Summit."  
Lois didn't say anything.  
"I've been informed that you are, and you'll have to pardon my French here, an arrogant prying bitch. That you have a talent for sticking your nose where it doesn't belong, that you antagonize and obstruct important people and that you are a corpse-digger dragging up stuff that sensible people know to let remain buried. That you are a menace to polite society and a scourge of the free press. Two of our advertisers have cancelled their contracts over your article, stating reasons in terms I will not take in my mouth."  
She looked at Lois.  
"Do you have anything to say for yourself?" she said.   
"Just doing my job," Lois said. "Upsetting some people comes with the territory."  
"Miss Lane," Tess said again. "If you keep up the sort of behavior that gets this kind of reaction..."  
She paused dramatically.  
"I may have to punish you," she continued. "Do you understand?"  
It took all the willpower Lois had not to break out in a grin. As it was, she just hoped she managed to keep her face somewhat straight.  
"Yes, miss... Mercer," she said.  
She was sure Tess would hear the unsaid word rather than the ones actually spoken.  
"Good," Tess said. "I can rely on you to behave to my satisfaction in the future, then?"  
"I will certainly do my best," Lois said.  
"Excellent," Tess said.  
She looked around the room.  
"Don't you people have jobs to do?" she asked in a cold tone.  
The noise level in the room increased instantly as just about everyone suddenly pretended to work.  
Tess pitched her voice low enough that only Lois could hear.  
"Seven o'clock tonight, at the mansion?" she said.  
Lois gave one brief nod. Tess strode away in the direction of her office.  
"Wow," Jimmy said when she was safely out of earshot. "That was some telling off."  
"It sounded serious," Clark said, looking worried. "You'd better be careful for a while."  
Lois tilted her head and smiled at the two of them.  
"Now what kind of reporter would be I be," she said, "if I let myself be stopped by threats like that?"

  



End file.
